Comments on: Teaching in May: The best of days, the worst of days http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/05/13/teaching-in-may-the-best-of-days-the-worst-of-days/ Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:37:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Peter Rock http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/05/13/teaching-in-may-the-best-of-days-the-worst-of-days/#comment-35868 Peter Rock Tue, 15 May 2007 10:21:20 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/05/13/teaching-in-may-the-best-of-days-the-worst-of-days/#comment-35868 "Some people take this to an extreme, even arguing that schools must do away with honor rolls because they hurt the feelings of students who do not make the honor roll. That egalitarian ethic, taken to an extreme, can be as negative and damaging as a competitive ethic taken to an extreme." Please justify. As far as I'm concerned, competition belongs on the basketball court, not in academics. I can't find any redeeming value in separating the winners from the losers when it comes to learning. Honor rolls have no value. When you say this "extreme" stance can be "negative" and "damaging" I'd like to hear why you think so. Let's say your principal decides to scrap honor roll altogether. How will you convince her that her extreme position causes damage. After all, if you believe this you will stand up for the kids to keep honor roll alive, no? I think this is important to consider. It's very easy to state that someone's position is extreme (happens to us free software advocates all the time :))...though if you can back it up, then great. I've asked why we have honor roll and traditional awards ceremonies for years and I've never heard a valid reason. "Recognition" is not bad, but genuine recognition need not parades, certificates, or ceremonies implicitly comparing students to one another in the academic realm. By the way, when I argued my stance (in a lengthy email supported with research including some by Alfie Kohn) I got a short response - "Kohn is a leftist who is not a part of the mainstream". Unfortunately, I was never given a reasonable retort explaining why my views on traditional awards ceremonies was misguided. "Sorry to hear you are leaving the classroom, but I wish you well in the next season of your life, wherever you end up going." Oh I'm staying. Going to another country...another school. “Some people take this to an extreme, even arguing that schools must do away with honor rolls because they hurt the feelings of students who do not make the honor roll. That egalitarian ethic, taken to an extreme, can be as negative and damaging as a competitive ethic taken to an extreme.”

Please justify.

As far as I’m concerned, competition belongs on the basketball court, not in academics. I can’t find any redeeming value in separating the winners from the losers when it comes to learning. Honor rolls have no value. When you say this “extreme” stance can be “negative” and “damaging” I’d like to hear why you think so. Let’s say your principal decides to scrap honor roll altogether. How will you convince her that her extreme position causes damage. After all, if you believe this you will stand up for the kids to keep honor roll alive, no? I think this is important to consider. It’s very easy to state that someone’s position is extreme (happens to us free software advocates all the time :))…though if you can back it up, then great. I’ve asked why we have honor roll and traditional awards ceremonies for years and I’ve never heard a valid reason. “Recognition” is not bad, but genuine recognition need not parades, certificates, or ceremonies implicitly comparing students to one another in the academic realm.

By the way, when I argued my stance (in a lengthy email supported with research including some by Alfie Kohn) I got a short response - “Kohn is a leftist who is not a part of the mainstream”. Unfortunately, I was never given a reasonable retort explaining why my views on traditional awards ceremonies was misguided.

“Sorry to hear you are leaving the classroom, but I wish you well in the next season of your life, wherever you end up going.”

Oh I’m staying. Going to another country…another school.

]]> By: Teaching in May: The best of days, the worst of days at Bit By Bit http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/05/13/teaching-in-may-the-best-of-days-the-worst-of-days/#comment-35867 Teaching in May: The best of days, the worst of days at Bit By Bit Tue, 15 May 2007 09:43:32 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/05/13/teaching-in-may-the-best-of-days-the-worst-of-days/#comment-35867 [...] clipped from www.speedofcreativity.org [...] [...] clipped from http://www.speedofcreativity.org [...]

]]> By: John http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/05/13/teaching-in-may-the-best-of-days-the-worst-of-days/#comment-35863 John Mon, 14 May 2007 21:03:40 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/05/13/teaching-in-may-the-best-of-days-the-worst-of-days/#comment-35863 Here's what my local school district (Livingston, Montana) is considering doing after taking the "tests". Every teacher will start teaching the next year's curriculum to start preparing for the next year's tests. That's right! Kindergarteners will start learning first grade material in May! First graders - second grade material... Unbelievable! I know of one veteran teacher who just plain quit and another that is taking a sabbatical. Here’s what my local school district (Livingston, Montana) is considering doing after taking the “tests”. Every teacher will start teaching the next year’s curriculum to start preparing for the next year’s tests. That’s right! Kindergarteners will start learning first grade material in May! First graders - second grade material… Unbelievable! I know of one veteran teacher who just plain quit and another that is taking a sabbatical.

]]> By: This is only a TEST… at Bit By Bit http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/05/13/teaching-in-may-the-best-of-days-the-worst-of-days/#comment-35860 This is only a TEST… at Bit By Bit Mon, 14 May 2007 15:55:50 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/05/13/teaching-in-may-the-best-of-days-the-worst-of-days/#comment-35860 [...] While gulping down my peanut butter and jelly sandwich during lunch today, I decided to catch up on some blog readings. The clip below, along with the incredibly sad story told in this outstanding post by Wes Fyer seemed to be bookends to the darker themes in the realities of education. Both stories involve “tests”, and both involve tears. The CNN story will hit people with an obvious shaking of the head and questioning, “What were they thinking?!?” Unfortunately, I’m not sure the story of the boy in the assembly will receive the same outrage. [...] [...] While gulping down my peanut butter and jelly sandwich during lunch today, I decided to catch up on some blog readings. The clip below, along with the incredibly sad story told in this outstanding post by Wes Fyer seemed to be bookends to the darker themes in the realities of education. Both stories involve “tests”, and both involve tears. The CNN story will hit people with an obvious shaking of the head and questioning, “What were they thinking?!?” Unfortunately, I’m not sure the story of the boy in the assembly will receive the same outrage. [...]

]]> By: Wesley Fryer http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/05/13/teaching-in-may-the-best-of-days-the-worst-of-days/#comment-35859 Wesley Fryer Mon, 14 May 2007 13:55:33 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/05/13/teaching-in-may-the-best-of-days-the-worst-of-days/#comment-35859 The end of year awards ceremonies at school can be corny with some of the awards that are given, but they can also be meaningful when the awards given are genuine and reflect acknowledgment of authentic work, skills and abilities on the part of students. I think these events can easily "go bad" when teachers are pressured to give everyone an award, regardless of whether the student has put forth effort for that recognition or not. Those types of award ceremonies are not really what I'm getting at in this post, although the issues related to giving student awards of any type are certainly fair game and worth thinking about. Some people take this to an extreme, even arguing that schools must do away with honor rolls because they hurt the feelings of students who do not make the honor roll. That egalitarian ethic, taken to an extreme, can be as negative and damaging as a competitive ethic taken to an extreme. My principal beef here is with high stakes assessment, which can literally be interpreted to brand students as "failures" in big ways when they don't pass a test. Competing for achievement awards and celebrating excellence can be great things, and I am not anti-competition or anti-recognition for student performance by any means. What I am against is artificially raising the stakes of a single assessment (or series of assessments) to such an extreme level that a young ten year old likely has a great deal of problem keeping things in perspective. Schools overall, with their grading systems, tend to compete against this ethic I'm advocating here: to maintain one's own sense of worth and esteem irrespective of what others say. Advertising in many of its forms also is a powerful enemy of this ethic. You have to wear these clothes, buy this product, look this certain way, in order to have value and be accepted. The insidious power of that message via media advertising is something we should continue to struggle against with people of all ages via conversations about media literacy and other means. I'm not going to say all schools should do away with end-of-school awards ceremonies because some kids are going to get their feelings hurt (because let's face it, some always do) but I WILL say we should abandon high-stakes accountability, because of the inherent high costs which are borne by students and teachers alike. Sorry to hear you are leaving the classroom, but I wish you well in the next season of your life, wherever you end up going. The end of year awards ceremonies at school can be corny with some of the awards that are given, but they can also be meaningful when the awards given are genuine and reflect acknowledgment of authentic work, skills and abilities on the part of students. I think these events can easily “go bad” when teachers are pressured to give everyone an award, regardless of whether the student has put forth effort for that recognition or not.

Those types of award ceremonies are not really what I’m getting at in this post, although the issues related to giving student awards of any type are certainly fair game and worth thinking about. Some people take this to an extreme, even arguing that schools must do away with honor rolls because they hurt the feelings of students who do not make the honor roll. That egalitarian ethic, taken to an extreme, can be as negative and damaging as a competitive ethic taken to an extreme.

My principal beef here is with high stakes assessment, which can literally be interpreted to brand students as “failures” in big ways when they don’t pass a test. Competing for achievement awards and celebrating excellence can be great things, and I am not anti-competition or anti-recognition for student performance by any means. What I am against is artificially raising the stakes of a single assessment (or series of assessments) to such an extreme level that a young ten year old likely has a great deal of problem keeping things in perspective.

Schools overall, with their grading systems, tend to compete against this ethic I’m advocating here: to maintain one’s own sense of worth and esteem irrespective of what others say. Advertising in many of its forms also is a powerful enemy of this ethic. You have to wear these clothes, buy this product, look this certain way, in order to have value and be accepted. The insidious power of that message via media advertising is something we should continue to struggle against with people of all ages via conversations about media literacy and other means.

I’m not going to say all schools should do away with end-of-school awards ceremonies because some kids are going to get their feelings hurt (because let’s face it, some always do) but I WILL say we should abandon high-stakes accountability, because of the inherent high costs which are borne by students and teachers alike.

Sorry to hear you are leaving the classroom, but I wish you well in the next season of your life, wherever you end up going.

]]> By: Peter Rock http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/05/13/teaching-in-may-the-best-of-days-the-worst-of-days/#comment-35857 Peter Rock Mon, 14 May 2007 09:08:34 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/05/13/teaching-in-may-the-best-of-days-the-worst-of-days/#comment-35857 "<i>My wife heard a story this past week that absolutely broke my heart. At an elementary school back in Lubbock (I won’t state the name) the teachers announced the results of the grade level’s math test results. Everyone passed, except for ONE SINGLE STUDENT. That student failed. At the school assembly where this was announced, of course that single student who failed the math test knew who he was. In fact, he openly wept at the assembly.</i>" That's sad. Last year one student was in tears after not receiving an award at a school-wide assembly. I remember not knowing at all what to say to him. These were traditional awards like "most improved", "hardest worker" and baloney like that. I refused to give awards last year and was reprimanded for not doing so (in fact, I've never given traditional awards for any of my classes). Basically I was told that "according to policy" all teachers must give awards and if you don't do it, then "maybe this school is not for you". My last day is in June. “My wife heard a story this past week that absolutely broke my heart. At an elementary school back in Lubbock (I won’t state the name) the teachers announced the results of the grade level’s math test results. Everyone passed, except for ONE SINGLE STUDENT. That student failed. At the school assembly where this was announced, of course that single student who failed the math test knew who he was. In fact, he openly wept at the assembly.”

That’s sad. Last year one student was in tears after not receiving an award at a school-wide assembly. I remember not knowing at all what to say to him. These were traditional awards like “most improved”, “hardest worker” and baloney like that.

I refused to give awards last year and was reprimanded for not doing so (in fact, I’ve never given traditional awards for any of my classes). Basically I was told that “according to policy” all teachers must give awards and if you don’t do it, then “maybe this school is not for you”. My last day is in June.

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